Ryan Mathews sat Sunday behind the Chargers bench, his left ankle examined at the athletic trainer's table in the fourth quarter.

He was escorted to the locker room for treatment.

Three minutes passed. Mathews was still inside. A couple more. No Mathews.

Then, shot from the tunnel, he ran to the sideline, hopped in place and, soon enough, re-entered the game. The way this gritty season has gone for the fourth-year veteran, no one should be surprised seeing him play through injury.

Its a testament to himself. Fans complained about his injuries, this guy has played through a nagging hamstring, a sore foot, list goes on and on. He wants to play a full season and be a reliable back. Give credit where its due, and also this OL for doing work week in and week out. Though, the OL got a little man handled at LOS today. Worries me, if we do make it into the big dance we'll most likely play CINCY, and there pretty damn physical at the LOS.

You know I think we were spoiled with LT dancing all over the place. Mathews showed flashes of that ability, but he bulked up last year, got unlucky broke both clavicles, came back this year, and he's turned into a north/south runner. Just pounding his way through. He's took some licks this year as well. The way he's hitting the hole its almost like he's welcoming hits, I love it.

Its a testament to himself. Fans complained about his injuries, this guy has played through a nagging hamstring, a sore foot, list goes on and on. He wants to play a full season and be a reliable back. Give credit where its due, and also this OL for doing work week in and week out. Though, the OL got a little man handled at LOS today. Worries me, if we do make it into the big dance we'll most likely play CINCY, and there pretty damn physical at the LOS.

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RM24 has shown some guts this year.

You're right about how physical Cincy is, and if the Bolts do get to playoffs this year (and play Cincy), the OL and DL will have to step it up.

You know I think we were spoiled with LT dancing all over the place. Mathews showed flashes of that ability, but he bulked up last year, got unlucky broke both clavicles, came back this year, and he's turned into a north/south runner. Just pounding his way through. He's took some licks this year as well. The way he's hitting the hole its almost like he's welcoming hits, I love it.

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Agreed, but how long can he last like this? He's turned into more of a grinder than I expected when we drafted him, and as Chris Johnson has shown the "special" doesn't usually last as long as it did for LT or even Adrian Peterson at this point. When he starts working on a new deal I'd be surprised if it's longer than 2 or 3 years.

Ryan Mathews sat Sunday behind the Chargers bench, his left ankle examined at the athletic trainer's table in the fourth quarter.

He was escorted to the locker room for treatment.

Three minutes passed. Mathews was still inside. A couple more. No Mathews.

Then, shot from the tunnel, he ran to the sideline, hopped in place and, soon enough, re-entered the game. The way this gritty season has gone for the fourth-year veteran, no one should be surprised seeing him play through injury.

"Had to," Mathews said. "Do it for my team."

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I knew you added the overused part, because it's complete BS. Mathews is a guy who broke his collar bone on the first play of preseason last year. To blame an ankle sprain on overuse suggests you don't understand how joints work. Whether your ankle gets twisted the wrong way on the 1st carry or the 21st, if it gets twisted the wrong way, you're going to get an injury. An ankle sprain is not a repetitive motion injury. But you're right in that if Mathews had not been used at all, he probably would have not gotten an injury.

I knew you added the overused part, because it's complete BS. Mathews is a guy who broke his collar bone on the first play of preseason last year. To blame an ankle sprain on overuse suggests you don't understand how joints work. Whether your ankle gets twisted the wrong way on the 1st carry or the 21st, if it gets twisted the wrong way, you're going to get an injury. An ankle sprain is not a repetitive motion injury. But you're right in that if Mathews had not been used at all, he probably would have not gotten an injury.

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Mathews has been nicked up and on the injury report for weeks, he had more than 60 touches combined in the Giants and Bronco games (4 days apart) and then he had 26 touches in the first 3 quarters yesterday. That's what I mean by overused.

He has not proven to be the most durable player over the last 4 years, and leaning on him like we have recently is begging for something to happen. Also I'm getting tired of our MartyBall approach in the redzone, so the word overuse has multiple valid meanings

Agreed, but how long can he last like this? He's turned into more of a grinder than I expected when we drafted him, and as Chris Johnson has shown the "special" doesn't usually last as long as it did for LT or even Adrian Peterson at this point. When he starts working on a new deal I'd be surprised if it's longer than 2 or 3 years.

If you can't have a RB who you traded UP to the 12th overall to take handle 20+ carries/game, then he shouldn't get much of a 2nd contract. Nor should any RB currently in the game not named Adrian Peterson.